Hosiery drier



ug 13,1%. n s. HEATH Em.. 295W@ HOSIERY DRIER Filed Jung 1e. 1944 Patented Aug. 13, 1946 HOSIERY DRIER Samuel Heath and William E. Greenlee, Ihiladelphia, Pa.

Application June 16, 1944, Serial No. 540,633

Claims.

Our invention relates to new and useful improvements in hosiery driers and has for one of its objects to provide a simple and eflicient device of this character including an adjustable leg form mounted on a base carrying means whereby the whole structure can be temporarily supported on a suitable surface.

Another object of our invention is to provide an adjustable leg form of suitable non-stainable and non-tarnishable material, such as stainless wire, that permits a wet stocking to be placed thereon and, when dry, to be removed without the likelihood of breakage at the corners of the gores.

Another object of our invention is to provide a base of unique construction having one of the branches of the leg form anchored thereon and the other slidable relative to the anchored one and means to hold said slidable branch in an adjusted position.

Another object of this invention is to provide for adjustably mounting one branch of a leg form on a base consisting of a slotted element having a nut and bolt in the slot, or a lazy or jointed bar structure which is crooked to draw the slidable branch inward and straightened to force said slidable branch outwardly.

A further object of the invention is to provide suction cups detachablyv mounted on the base to permit replacement when damaged or Worn out and allow the complete removal thereof for fastening the base direct to a support.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a hosiery drier consisting of two or more leg forms mounted on a unitary base, and each leg form having a movable portion to provide for adjustment thereof.

With the above and other objects in View this invention consists of the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same we will describe its construction in detail referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the hosiery drier according to our invention and showing in dotted lines how the leg form may be adjusted.

Fig. 2 is a side view, on a reduced scale, of a hose on the leg form.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3--3 of Fig. I.

Fig. 4 is a side or edge view of the lower part of the drier illustrating a modified type of adjusting means in a contracted position.

Fig. 5 is a similar View showing the adjusting means extended.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of another style of base to accommodate two or a plurality of leg forms. In carrying out our invention as herein embodied, l0 represents a leg form produced in the general shape of a hose from suitable material of slender rod design, preferably stainless metal or wire having some inherent resiliency in order to retain and return to the shape to which it is bent. This leg form includes two branches Il and |2`each having an inturned extension i3 at the end.

The leg form is mounted upon a base l@ which is a fiat strip of material, for example stainless steel, consisting of a single bar, Fig. 3, or a plurality of integral bars, Fig. 6, each bar having a longitudinal slot i5 terminating short of the ends of said bar or flat strip. The ends of the strip are notched out to provide a pair of parallel horns or fingers I6 at each end for registration with holes in the rib I'l of a rubber or like material suction cup I8. Due to the elastic quality of the suction cups and their ribs, the cups will be readily retained on the ends of the base without additional attaching means. This arrangement also permits the suction cups to be easily detached and replaced or others substituted, and they can be left oi and the base fastened by other means to a supporting surface, if desired.

One branch, as H, of the leg form if) is anchored to the base with the inturned extension of said branch in the slot i5, by suitable securing means IS, such as a bolt and nut, welding or any equivalent. The other branch, as l2, of said leg form is slidably mounted on the base, with the inturned extension of the latter branch in the slot l5, for movement to and from the branch Il. One way to mount said branch l2 is to connect its extension to a bolt 2Q, Figs. 1, 3 and 6, in the slot l5, said bolt having a non-circular shank to prevent rotation in said slot i5 While permitting sliding movement thereof lengthwise of the slot. A wing nut 2l is screwed onto the bolt to hold the parts in any adjusted position, and a clamping washer 22 -preferably is interposed between the wing nut and the contiguous surface of the base. This washer has portions bent down over the side edges of said base.

A modified adjustment means is sh'own in Figs. 4 and 5 where one end of a jointed or lazy bar 23 is pivotally connected with the anchored portion of the branch H and the other end of said bar is pivotally connected with the branch l2. This bar 23 comprises two arms pivoted at 24 and one arm has a nger piece 25 to readily lift, crook or break the bar for drawing the branch l2 of the leg form inward, as shown in Fig. 4. Said nger piece 25 also functions as a stop, when the bar is straightened, by contacting the companion arm, which prevents the bar from erooking in the wrong direction.

When the leg form is adjusted, as suggested by the dotted line position of the branch' l2 in Fig. 1, a hose 26, Fig. 2, can be readily drawn over the drier without breaking or otherwise damaging the corner 21 of the gore between the heel and foot. After the hose is on the drier, the latter is expanded by moving the branch l2 outward until the hose is taut. During the adjustment; the wire branches can flex to compensate for any irregularities or differences in shape between various stockings Wherefore each branch is self- 'aligning Thereafter the drier is mounted on any suitable supporting surface, such as a wall,`

'bathtub or the like, by attaching the suction cups to said supporting surface in a well known manner.

Of course We do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction herein shown and described as these may be varied within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having described our invention what we Aclaim as new and useful is:

1. A hosiery drier consisting of a base having a longitudinal slot intermediate the ends of said base and terminating short of said ends, a pair of spaced lingers at each end, a suction cup detachably mounted on each one of the pair of fingers, a leg form of Wire including two branches, inturned extensions at the ends of said branches 4 and positioned in the slot of the base, means to anchor one of said branches, and means to slidably and adjustably mount the other of said branches on the base.

2. The hosiery drier of claim l wherein the means for slidably and adjustably mounting the other branch of the leg form comprises a bolt having a non-circular shank mounted in the base slot and connected to said other branch, and a Wing nut screwed onto said bolt to clamp the latter in various selected positions.

3. The hosiery drier of claim l wherein the means for slidably and adjustably mounting the other branch of the leg form comprises a, lazy bar pivotally connected to the leg form branches.

4. A hosiery drier consisting of a base having a plurality of slots, leg forms mounted on the base, one in the region of each slot into which parts of the leg forms project, portions of said leg forms being permanently anchored, means to -allow adjustment of other portions of said leg forms and hold the same in' adjusted positions, and means on the base for mounting the structure on a supporting surface.

5. In a hosiery drier, a base comprised of a flat strip having a longitudinal slot intermediate the ends of Said base and terminating short of said ends, a, leg form of Wire and including itwo branches, inturned extensions at the ends of said branches and positioned in the slot of the base with the plane of the form at right angles to the plane of a broad face of said base, means to x one branch to the base by securing its extension within the slot, and means slidably mounted on the base and connected to the extension of the other branch for adjustably holding said other branch on the base.

SAMUEL HEA'IH. WILLIAM E. GREENLEE. 

